[Activation of the caffeine center of the sarcoplasmic reticulum at a reduced concentration of magnesium ions].

The action of caffeine and Mg2+ on the efficacy of Ca2+ transport by terminal cisterns and longitudinal tubules of rabbit skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) was studied and compared. Addition of 5 to 10 mM caffeine to the incubation medium or a decrease in Mg2+ concentration from 4 to 0.1 mM led to a 3-fold diminution of the Ca/ATP ratio for the terminal cistern fraction. In longitudinal tubules, that effect was far less pronounced. The effects of caffeine and decreases in Mg2+ concentration were blocked by ruthenium red, tetracaine and dimethylsulfoxide. It is assumed that the decrease in Mg2+ concentration is accompanied by activation of the caffeine site of the SR, induced by the intravesicular caffeine-like factor.